People have been creating incredible feats of architecture for as long as humans have been hanging around on Earth. But what about structures that are still being built using those same techniques?
That’s the kind of tradition that’s being kept alive by the local communities living on either side of the Apurímac River Canyon in Peru.
Every year, it takes builders three whole days to dismantle and reconstruct the Q’eswachaka Bridge with only the materials and techniques used by the Incas.
"The work my father gave me to do, I started doing when I was 12 years old," says Victoriano Arizapana, a Quechua master rope bridge engineer and the architect overseeing construction. "I love that bridge very much. In other words, I love it like a son."
All of this reminds me of the man who’s been building a cathedral — by hand — for the past 54 years. There was also the dome a man built to withstand earthquakes, too.
While we’re all trying to leave our mark on the world, it’s what we pass down to the next generation that will truly last the longest.
I loved watching the Q’eswachaka Bridge come together with the help of so many dedicated and passionate builders! The joy was palpable when the structure was finally secured, and it can hold “dozens of people” at a time.
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